FOLDED PAPER: Take a plain piece of paper and fold it lengthwise, then folded again in the same direction. You should now have a piece of paper where the folds give you 4 columns. If you consider both sides of the paper, you have 8 columns. Label the top of each column: Everyday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

You can keep the same paper for years until it falls apart or you can keep it fluid, changing it often, changing the order, color coordinating it, getting artsy with it, doodling on it until there’s no more space left or filling each column with layers of post-em notes.

AN INTERCESSION TEXT:
Today I choose to pray for others.
But how shall I impart to them
the gift of peace and love
if my own heart is still unloving
and I have no peace of mind myself?

So I start with my heart:
I hold before the Lord
each feeling of resentment, anger, bitterness
that may still be lurking there,
asking that his grace
will make it yield to love someday
if not right now.

Then I seek peace:
I list the worries that disturb my peace of mind
and imagine that I place them in God s hands
in the hope that this will bring me respite from anxiety
at least during this time of prayer.(read more…..)

PLAYING CARDS: Index cards are a fun way to organize your intercession for people, events, organizations, institutions, etc. You can go to for the multi-color pack (neon or pastel) or just plain white if you prefer to doodle and color on them. If you put just one name on the top of each card. this allows you to group them together in various ways. You can also make note of specific needs, the dates when you prayed, answers to prayer, progress, etc. If you are not a particularly organized person (like me), index cards can also allow you to randomize who/what you pray for. You don’t necessarily have to group them, you can keep it all very haphazard and “just pick a card…any card” from the stack. (read about possible variations)

PHOTO PRAY: Intercede for a friend by finding a photo of them on your computer. Make it lighter or more transparent with a photo editing program. Then print the picture on a full size piece of paper. Write down bits of your prayer: words, phrases, blessings, desires, wishes, Biblical verses, etc., all over the picture until it is full…all except the face of your friend.

Variation 1: This works as a blessing as well – fill the page with good, positive things that you want poured out upon your friend in the photo.Variation 2: Get more creative – draw pictures or doodle on the picture, use colored pencils / markers, make a collage.Variation 3: Try it with a group photo of friends or family.Variation 4: Try it with a picture of a place (office, school, home, church) or a map (city, state, province, country).Variation 5: Try it with a picture of yourself.

REALITY CHECK: Allow everyday realities to direct your prayer into fresh areas, as illustrated by this journal entry: God, today I don’t feel like praying because my back is killing me…help me to pray for those who are in more pain than me…I pray for those in my city in pain…in the hospital, in nursing homes…I pray for those developing countries in pain because they don’t have medicine available to them…etc

BIRTHDAY PRAY: Most people keep track of the birthdays of those they love…so on these special days, take a few extra moments to focus your time of intercession solely on the one who is celebrating their birthday.Variation 1: Find a picture of them to look at while you pray.Variation 2: Print out their picture and write/draw your prayers all over them and around them.Variation 3: Not only pray for them, their needs and their future but if the relationship has been long, spend some time listing thanksgivings for the memories, the interactions, etc.